‘The Rhythm Section’ Arrives During Super Bowl Slump Weekend for Box Office

This weekend’s box office is expected to be a slow one, as new releases “The Rhythm Section” from Paramount and “Gretel & Hansel” from United Artists/Orion aren’t expected to earn opening weekends of more than $15 million due to competition from the Super Bowl.

“This is always a slow weekend since most people are staying home on Sundays to watch football, especially in a year where we have the Chiefs and 49ers, two exciting teams that a lot of people were hoping would play in the championship,” said Exhibitor Relations analyst Jeff Bock. “It also affects Saturday box office as well, since many people are home on that night as well as getting ready for their watch parties.”

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Beyond the NFL, studios are also steering clear of this weekend because of a slew of February blockbusters coming down the pipe, starting with Warner Bros.’ “Birds of Prey” next weekend. “The Rhythm Section” wasn’t even originally set for release this weekend, but was moved here from previous dates in February and November 2019 after lead star Blake Lively was injured during filming.

Produced by Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson — the longtime producers behind the James Bond series — on a $50 million budget, “The Rhythm Section” is facing an uphill battle to profitability as projections have the film making $9-12 million this weekend. With little marketing and competition from the aforementioned Super Bowl and upcoming releases, it will take incredibly strong reviews for this revenge thriller to gain traction. Currently, the film does not have a Rotten Tomatoes score.

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Directed by Reed Morano, “The Rhythm Section” stars Lively as a widow who discovers that the plane accident that killed her family three years earlier was no accident. Bent on revenge, she embarks on a mission to track down those responsible by assuming the identity of an assassin. Sterling K. Brown and Jude Law also star in the film, which was adapted for the screen by Mark Burnell from his novel of the same name.

“Gretel & Hansel,” a fantasy horror take on the classic Brothers Grimm fairytale, is projected for a $4-6 million opening weekend. Directed and co-written by Oz Perkins, the film takes a more female-focused spin on the story as 16-year-old Gretel (Sophia Lillis) leads her 8-year-old brother Hansel (Sam Leakey) into the dark woods in search for food, where they find a house belonging to a powerful and evil witch (Alice Krige) and need the help of a nameless Hunter (Charles Babalola) to escape. The film does not currently have a Rotten Tomatoes score.

30 Highest Grossing Animated Movies of All Time Worldwide

A look at top animated moneymakers as of September 2019, from “The Lion King” to “Zootopia.” The numbers are not adjusted for inflation.
30. “Kung Fu Panda” (2008)

Worldwide Gross: $631,744,560

The success of Jack Black‘s 2008 martial arts-meet-spongy mammal movie set into motion its inevitable — and even more profitable — sequel.

Dreamworks Animation Studios
29. “The Incredibles” (2004)

Worldwide Gross: $633,019,734

In 2004, Brad Bird‘s first Pixar outing wowed audiences with complicated animated action scenes, cross-generational comedy and superhero mayhem.

Pixar Animation Studios
28. “Sing” (2016)

Worldwide Gross: $634,151,679

Illumination’s animal-karaoke musical crooned its way onto the list.
27. “Moana” (2016)

Worldwide Gross: $643,331,111

Disney’s Hawaii-set movie scored two Oscar nominations, for Best Animated Feature and Lin-Manuel Miranda’s song “How Far I’ll Go.”

Disney
26. “Big Hero 6” (2014)

Worldwide Gross: $657,818,612

Disney’s 2014 robot tale combined anime aesthetics, superhero action and Pixar’s heart.

Disney Animation Studios
25. “Ice Age: The Meltdown” (2006)

Worldwide Gross: $660,940,780

Fox’s 2006 prehistoric romp proved the success of the first was no fluke.

Twentieth Century Fox
24. “Kung Fu Panda 2” (2011)

Worldwide Gross: $665,692,281

With the franchise’s skills proven, DreamWorks Animation gave the world another hit of comedy with this animated martial arts sequel in 2011.

Dreamworks Animation Studios
23. “Up” (2009)

Worldwide Gross: $735,099,082

The 2009 fan favorite demonstrated that original ideas with big emotions could make big money.

Pixar Animation Studios
22. “Monsters University” (2013)

Worldwide Gross: $744,229,437

Ten years after the release of “Monsters Inc,” Pixar sent fans back to school in a 2013 prequel.

Pixar Animation Studios
21. “Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted” (2012)

Worldwide Gross: $746,921,274

DreamWorks Animation’s “Madagascar” series kept the studio afloat with a string of breezy successes, including 2012’s third installment.

Dreamworks Animation Studios
20. “Shrek Forever After” (2010)

Worldwide Gross: $752,600,867

The big green ogre’s final chapter dropped in 2010.

Dreamworks Animation Studio
19. “Shrek the Third” (2007)

Worldwide Gross: $798,958,162

Made in 2007, this sequel proved there was still some gas left in this fantasy mash-up comedy franchise.

Dreamworks Animation Studio
18. “Coco” (2017)

Worldwide Gross: $807,082,196

Directed by Lee Unkrich, this animated film captured everyone’s hearts and even won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2018.

Disney/Pixar
17. “Inside Out” (2015)

Worldwide Gross: $857,611,174

Disney Pixar hit the home run again with this animated feature film about the emotions inside your head, starring Amy Poehler, Mindy Kaling and Bill Hader.

Disney/Pixar
16. “The Secret Life of Pets” (2016)

Worldwide Gross:$875,457,937

Universal/Illumination’s story of dogs seeking out adventure while their owners are away charmed its way onto the list.
15. “Ice Age: Continental Drift” (2012)

Worldwide Gross: $877,244,782

Profits abound for this 2012 fourth installment in the chilly prehistoric franchise, followed just behind it’s predecessor.

Twentieth Century Fox Animation
14.”Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs” (2009)

Worldwide Gross: $888,805,671

While other films have made bigger waves in the States, international sales have always returned big money for Fox’s “Ice Age” franchise, proven again by the 2009 entry.

Twentieth Century Fox Animation
13. “Shrek 2” (2004)

Worldwide Gross: $919,838,758

DreamWorks Animation proved to be worthy Pixar competition with its successful “Shrek” franchise.

Dreamworks Animation Studio
12. “Finding Nemo” (2003)

Worldwide Gross: $940,335,536

“Finding Nemo” was something of a second-wind for Pixar, solidifying the company’s place as the titans of modern animation.

Pixar Studios
11. “The Lion King” (1994)

Worldwide Gross: $968,483,777

Can you feel the love tonight for this Disney animated classic?

Disney Animation Studios
10. “Despicable Me 2” (2013)

Worldwide Gross: $970,761,885

Illumination’s sequel managed to make more money than its predecessor and put the upcoming “Minions” spin-off into motion.

Illumination Studios
9. “Zootopia” (2016)

Worldwide Gross: $1,023,784,195

Disney charmed audiences in 2016 with its cop thriller pairing a rookie rabbit cop and a wily fox informant.

Disney
8. “Finding Dory” (2016)

Worldwide Gross: $1,028,570,889

The sequel to “Finding Nemo” swam right back into audience’s hearts.

Pixar
7. “Despicable Me 3” (2017)

Worldwide Gross: $1,034,799,409

Illumination’s follow-up — featuring Gru’s blond-haired brother — became the franchise’s biggest grosser.
6. “Toy Story 4” (2019)

Worldwide Gross: $1,061,928,660

Disney
5. “Toy Story 3” (2010)

Worldwide Gross: $1,066,969,703

Built on Pixar’s critical and commercial goodwill, the third installment in the mega-franchise brought in big profits.

Pixar Studios
4. “Minions” (2015)

Worldwide Gross: $1,159,398,397

The little yellow helpers crossed the $1 billion mark at the end of August, raking in more money then “Despicable Me” and “Despicable Me 2” for Universal Pictures.

Universal Pictures/Illumination Entertainment
3. “Incredibles 2” (2018)

Worldwide Gross: $1,242,805,359

The superpowered family sprung back into action a full 14 years after the original — but far surpassed the original film’s box office haul.

Disney/Pixar
2. “Frozen” (2013)

Worldwide Gross: $1,276,480,335

Disney’s 2013 smash-hit takes the box office top spot. And then there was merchandising, video on demand and home video that audiences just couldn’t let go…

Disney Animation Studios
1. The Lion King (2019)

Worldwide Gross: $1,631,724,000

Whether the film is animated or live-action has been up for debate, the new “Lion King” was computer animated, so we’re putting it on the list.

Disney